This blog has been developed to facilitate interactive conversations about the Maynard School District. Individual student or personal matters must still be discussed privately with the appropriate personnel in the schools.

Friday, May 27, 2016

In little over a week Emerson Hospital will host its 16th annual Run~Walk for Cancer at the Thoreau Club Outdoor Center in Concord! We hope that you will join your many friends and neighbors in their support of Emerson’s cancer patients at this fun, family friendly event on June 4th. In addition to the run and walk, activities include swimming, tie dye, bounce house, field games, food, music and more! Visitwww.emersonhospital.org/5k to register, volunteer or donate today!

Important Events and
Reminders:

In
an effort to streamline the Superintendent’s Notes, I will provide important
upcoming events or announcements that have already been posted in previous
Superintendent’s Notes in this section.

Summer Cookbook Club

The Friends
of the Maynard Public Library are
joining the cookbook club trend with a twist; it will be in conjunction with
the Maynard Farmers' Market. Four cookbooks have been selected to encourage using
in-season, locally raised ingredients. You make a recipe from the current
month's cookbook and bring it to the potluck. We will taste the dishes
and share opinions about the book and what we made. Meetings will be held
at 12pm on the second Monday of each month from June to Sept. The series
kicks off June 13 with Simply in Season by Mary Beth Lind and Cathleen
Hockman-Wert. Copies of the book are on display in the library lobby and
available for checkout.

The Maynard SEPAC Ice Cream Social will be held
onTuesday, June
7thfrom6:30-8:00 pmin
the Fowler School cafeteria. All studentsreceiving Special Education services in Maynard
and their families areinvited to attend. This popular event will have
lots of crafts,activities, and fun! This event is free and open
to the whole familyof students receiving Special Education services
in Maynard. Pleasecontact Jessica O'Toole with any questions or to
RSVP atsepacsec@maynard.k12.ma.usor
978-897-0650.

Baseline Concussion Testing – No Fee!

Emerson Hospital and Maynard High School are pleased to
offer baseline concussion testing for Maynard High School students. Through a generous grant from the Emerson
Women's Auxiliary, the tests are for all students free of charge this
school year. For more information about
the concussion center use the following link: https://www.emersonhospital.org/MedServicesAndCenters/Centers/Cantu.aspx

These tests create a cognitive and functional baseline for
individuals that serve as a reference point when determining if your student
has sustained a concussion and needs to be referred to a doctor.
Appointments for this free baseline concussion testing are available to all
high school students and will be scheduled after school on May 31st, June 1st, or June 2nd upon parental request. The tests will be
conducted after school at Fowler Middle School in the computer labs.

The 4th Annual
Acton-Boxborough-Maynard PMC KIDS Bike Ride will take place on June 5, 2016
from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm at NARA Park in Acton. PMC KIDS Bike Rides became an official PMC program in 2005 as a
way to include young cyclists in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenges mission of
raising money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
through its Jimmy Fund. These rides enable children between the ages of 3 and
13 to ride their bikes and solicit sponsors to donate money to cancer
research. 100% of all money raised at this event and by the children will
go directly to Dana Farber via the PMC. The event will include the ride,
lunch, multiple kid’s activities, raffles and silent auction! Ride details,
rider and volunteer registration can be found at: http://www.kids.pmc.org/Acton-Boxboro.aspx. You
can also email PMCKidsAB@gmail.com with any questions. Or visit
us on our PMC Kids Ride - Acton Boxboro Maynard
Facebook page. We hope to see
you there!

A
Parent's Guide to Waging War on Drugs: Forewarned is Forearmed

Please join us for the very
informative and important presentation by F. George Herring, A Parent's
Guide to Waging War on Drugs: Forewarned is Forearmed. Herring is a case investigator, for the Fatal
Overdose Narcotics Bureau in Long Island, New York. The presentation will aim to provide
information about the current drug culture, help recognize signs of abuse and
provide practical advice for the unfortunate event you discover a member of
your household has an addiction problem.

Date: Tuesday May
24th

Time: 7:30pm

Place: Maynard
High School Auditorium.

School Pesticide Notification

This notification is being sent to you in conformance
with the Children’s & Families Protection Act (Chapter 85 of the Acts of
2000). The Act requires we notify you when pesticides are applied on the
outside of public and private schools, day care centers and school age child
care programs.

We are having Fowler School, 3 Tiger
Drive and Green Meadow Elementary School, 5 Tiger Drive,
treated with the Sentricon Termite Baiting System in response to the presence
of termites. We selected this treatment method to reduce risk and hazard
to our student population and staff. At various times during the course
of the year, the Waltham Services Company may remove monitoring devices placed
below ground in plastic holding stations and replace them with baits lethal to
termites. The pesticide bait is non-volatile and not accessible or
visible from above.

Please feel free to call me at the Business Office at
978-897-8251, Mr. Mela, principal at Fowler School at 978-897-6700 or Mrs.
Dankner, principal at Green Meadow at 978-897-8246 should you have questions.

Website: www.mass.gov/agr, then follow the links to the Children’s Protection page

Tuesday, May 17, 2016

Several folks have expressed concern that they were not sure
what final budget actions occurred at the school committee meeting on
5/13. I was asked to clarify what
happened.

The School Committee has been deliberating on balancing the budget
for several months. The budget that was passed at the Annual Town Meeting
on 5/16 was a level service budget.
However, it did not account for contractual concerns that have been
raised in regard to scheduling.

Actions Required:

It has been identified that the contractual concerns require
the layoff of 4 full time teachers at Maynard High School (MHS) and 4 full time
teachers at Green Meadow (GM). Those 8
full time positions will be replaced with 10 part time positions. The layoffs will save the district $294,947
but the new hires needed will cost the district approximately $339,000. This will require an additional
$44,053 based on average hiring costs.

Actions Considered:

In order to balance the budget, the School Committee had to choose one of the
following three reductions:

2. Eliminate one guidance counselor position at Fowler (based
on similar school studies)

3. Eliminate one literacy coach position (this would reduce
Title I programming at GM)

Actions taken:

1. After many meetings of thoughtful deliberations on these
three choices, the School Committee voted to eliminate the Fowler guidance position
to balance the budget.

2. It was stated that as the administration is always looking
for budgetary efficiency. If additional funding is identified, it will be allocated to bring back the
guidance position.

Every year the discussions on priorities are difficult. This year's budgetary discussions are more
complicated by the fact that 8 full time positions need to be laid off.
The 8 full time staff we currently employ are outstanding teachers that we
do not want to leave our district.
However we have an obligation to act with fairness and equity for all
staff.

Graduation Balloon sale!

Graduation of the class of 2016 is right around
the corner, and you can congratulate any senior on this great milestone by
purchasing a fabulous orange Mylar balloon in the shape of a star with the
“Class of 2016” written on them. We will place them on the house of the
designated senior on June 10th! They are only $5 for the first
balloon and $4 for each additional balloon ordered. You can order them by
emailing the name of the senior to odoktorov@maynard.k12.ma.us . All orders
must be submitted and paid in full via a check payable to MHS Class of 2018 or
cash brought to the main office by May 27th.Summer Cookbook Club

TheFriends of the Maynard Public Libraryare joining the cookbook club trend with
a twist; it will be in conjunction with theMaynard Farmers' Market. Four cookbooks have been selected to encourage
using in-season, locally raised ingredients. You make a recipe from the current month's
cookbook and bring it to the potluck. We
will taste the dishes and share opinions about the book and what we made. Meetings will be held at 12pm
on the second Monday of each month from June to Sept. The series kicks off June13 with Simply in Season by Mary Beth
Lind and Cathleen Hockman-Wert. Copies
of the book are on display in the library lobby and available for checkout.

Join staff from the Town of Maynard and the Metropolitan Area
Planning Council On Thursday, May 26 between 5:00 pm and 8:30 pm in the Maynard
Library Board of Trustees Room. There
will be refreshments and discussions about ways to improve Maynard's streets
for pedestrians and bicyclists. Please RSVP to Bnemser@townofmaynard.net or (978) 897-1302

Important Events and
Reminders:

In
an effort to streamline the Superintendent’s Notes, I will provide important
upcoming events or announcements that have already been posted in previous
Superintendent’s Notes in this section.

SEPAC Ice Cream Social

The Maynard SEPAC Ice Cream Social will be held
onTuesday, June
7thfrom6:30-8:00 pmin
the Fowler School cafeteria. All studentsreceiving Special Education services in Maynard
and their families areinvited to attend. This popular event will have
lots of crafts,activities, and fun! This event is free and open
to the whole familyof students receiving Special Education services
in Maynard. Pleasecontact Jessica O'Toole with any questions or to
RSVP atsepacsec@maynard.k12.ma.usor
978-897-0650.

Baseline Concussion Testing – No Fee!

Emerson Hospital and Maynard High School are pleased to
offer baseline concussion testing for Maynard High School students. Through a generous grant from the Emerson
Women's Auxiliary, the tests are for all students free of charge this
school year. For more information about
the concussion center use the following link: https://www.emersonhospital.org/MedServicesAndCenters/Centers/Cantu.aspx

These tests create a cognitive and functional baseline for
individuals that serve as a reference point when determining if your student
has sustained a concussion and needs to be referred to a doctor.
Appointments for this free baseline concussion testing are available to all
high school students and will be scheduled after school on May 31st, June 1st, or June 2nd upon parental request. The tests will be
conducted after school at Fowler Middle School in the computer labs.

The 4th Annual
Acton-Boxborough-Maynard PMC KIDS Bike Ride will take place on June 5, 2016
from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm at NARA Park in Acton. PMC KIDS Bike Rides became an official PMC program in 2005 as a
way to include young cyclists in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenges mission of
raising money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
through its Jimmy Fund. These rides enable children between the ages of 3 and
13 to ride their bikes and solicit sponsors to donate money to cancer
research. 100% of all money raised at this event and by the children will
go directly to Dana Farber via the PMC. The event will include the ride,
lunch, multiple kid’s activities, raffles and silent auction! Ride details,
rider and volunteer registration can be found at: http://www.kids.pmc.org/Acton-Boxboro.aspx. You
can also email PMCKidsAB@gmail.com with any questions. Or visit
us on our PMC Kids Ride - Acton Boxboro Maynard
Facebook page. We hope to see
you there!

A
Parent's Guide to Waging War on Drugs: Forewarned is Forearmed

Please join us for the very
informative and important presentation by F. George Herring, A Parent's
Guide to Waging War on Drugs: Forewarned is Forearmed. Herring is a case investigator, for the Fatal
Overdose Narcotics Bureau in Long Island, New York. The presentation will aim to provide information
about the current drug culture, help recognize signs of abuse and provide
practical advice for the unfortunate event you discover a member of your
household has an addiction problem.

Date: Tuesday May
24th

Time: 7:30pm

Place: Maynard
High School Auditorium.

School Pesticide Notification

This notification is being sent to you in conformance
with the Children’s & Families Protection Act (Chapter 85 of the Acts of
2000). The Act requires we notify you when pesticides are applied on the
outside of public and private schools, day care centers and school age child
care programs.

We are having Fowler School, 3 Tiger
Drive and Green Meadow Elementary School, 5 Tiger Drive,
treated with the Sentricon Termite Baiting System in response to the presence
of termites. We selected this treatment method to reduce risk and hazard
to our student population and staff. At various times during the course
of the year, the Waltham Services Company may remove monitoring devices placed
below ground in plastic holding stations and replace them with baits lethal to
termites. The pesticide bait is non-volatile and not accessible or
visible from above.

Please feel free to call me at the Business Office at
978-897-8251, Mr. Mela, principal at Fowler School at 978-897-6700 or Mrs.
Dankner, principal at Green Meadow at 978-897-8246 should you have questions.

Website: www.mass.gov/agr, then follow the links to the Children’s Protection page

Friday, May 13, 2016

The Fowler Latin Club attended the MASS Junior Classical
League (JCL) State Convention in Barnstable two weekends ago. Fowler placed 10th overall out of 17
schools. This was a very good performance for our first appearance with students
who are taking their first introductory course.

Several of our students placed among the top 5 at
their level in academic testing on mythology and Roman life. Seamus
Noonan played a flute solo in the talent show and placed third. Sophia
Smith also performed in the talent show. The students created models,
dolls, mosaics, photographs, comics, drawings and a mobile for the art
contests. They received several awards
for their art, which is currently displayed in the Fowler library. Ronan
Jeannotte, Gracie Gilligan, and Ripley Matson received awards for dressing up
as Odysseus and Calypso for the costume contest. Lily Saperstein received
an award for poetry in the Pre-Convention Writing contest. Grace Charron
received three awards for running track in the Olympika contests. The
students also participated in the chariot and worm races, which were
whole-school contests. The chariot for these events was built by Fowler parent, Michael
Smith. Best of all, Fowler received first place for spirit in the medium
schools category (category based on number of delegates).

The kids all had a great time, and the parents are
very excited about the program. Six chaperons attended with Fowler Latin
Teacher, Monica Faiella. It was a really good experience for everyone and
the kids and parents reported looking forward to attending again next year.

SEPAC Ice Cream Social

The Maynard SEPAC Ice Cream Social will be held
onTuesday, June
7th from6:30-8:00 pmin
the Fowler School cafeteria. All students receiving Special Education services in Maynard
and their families are invited to attend. This popular event will have
lots of crafts, activities, and fun! This event is free and open
to the whole family of students receiving Special Education services
in Maynard. Please contact Jessica O'Toole with any questions or to
RSVP atsepacsec@maynard.k12.ma.usor 978-897-0650.

Important Events and
Reminders:

In
an effort to streamline the Superintendent’s Notes, I will provide important
upcoming events or announcements that have already been posted in previous
Superintendent’s Notes in this section.

Baseline Concussion Testing – No Fee!

Emerson Hospital and Maynard High School are pleased to
offer baseline concussion testing for Maynard High School students. Through a generous grant from the Emerson
Women's Auxiliary, the tests are for all students free of charge this
school year. For more information about the
concussion center use the following link: https://www.emersonhospital.org/MedServicesAndCenters/Centers/Cantu.aspx

These tests create a cognitive and functional baseline for
individuals that serve as a reference point when determining if your student
has sustained a concussion and needs to be referred to a doctor.
Appointments for this free baseline concussion testing are available to all
high school students and will be scheduled after school on May 31st, June 1st, or June 2nd upon parental request. The tests will be
conducted after school at Fowler Middle School in the computer labs.

Concord Youth Theatre's
Mainstage Company will be performing Robin Hood

This is a re-telling of one of the most
classic tales known. Robin and his band of “Merry Men” take the stage to rob
from the rich and give to the poorMay 13-15, 20-22, 2016 (Fri-Sat,7:30pm;
Sat-Sun,2:30pm).

The 40-actor cast includes Maynard's own Tyson
Smith, as well as other young people from Acton, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln,
Littleton, Sudbury and Westford.

Under the direction of Lisa Evans with music
direction by the musical’s writer Rene Pfister, performances take place at
Concord Youth Theatre’s, 358 Baker Avenue black box theater in Concord. Tickets
are $13 each and may be purchased online atwww.concordyouththeatre.orgor
by calling the CYT box office at978-371-1482.
The performance is recommended for ages 4 and up.

PMC Kids Bike Ride

The 4th Annual
Acton-Boxborough-Maynard PMC KIDS Bike Ride will take place on June 5, 2016
from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm at NARA Park in Acton. PMC KIDS Bike Rides became an official PMC program in 2005 as a
way to include young cyclists in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenges mission of
raising money for cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
through its Jimmy Fund. These rides enable children between the ages of 3 and
13 to ride their bikes and solicit sponsors to donate money to cancer
research. 100% of all money raised at this event and by the children will
go directly to Dana Farber via the PMC. The event will include the ride,
lunch, multiple kid’s activities, raffles and silent auction! Ride details,
rider and volunteer registration can be found at: http://www.kids.pmc.org/Acton-Boxboro.aspx. You
can also email PMCKidsAB@gmail.com with any questions. Or visit
us on our PMC Kids Ride - Acton Boxboro Maynard
Facebook page. We hope to see
you there!

A
Parent's Guide to Waging War on Drugs: Forewarned is Forearmed

Please join us for the very
informative and important presentation by F. George Herring, A Parent's
Guide to Waging War on Drugs: Forewarned is Forearmed. Herring is a case investigator, for the Fatal
Overdose Narcotics Bureau in Long Island, New York. The presentation will aim to provide
information about the current drug culture, help recognize signs of abuse and
provide practical advice for the unfortunate event you discover a member of
your household has an addiction problem.

Date: Tuesday May
24th

Time: 7:30pm

Place: Maynard
High School Auditorium.

A Commmunity Forum: Rising Opiod Epedemic in our Community

I would like to take just a moment to remind
everyone of our upcoming Opioid awareness conference which is fast
approaching. This community outreach program is scheduled forMonday May 16thfrom6-9 pmat the
Concord-Carlisle HS. We will have resources from all over the area to
discuss issues with prevention, awareness, early intervention and behavioral
emergencies. Again we look forward to seeing you there.

This notification is being sent to you in conformance
with the Children’s & Families Protection Act (Chapter 85 of the Acts of
2000). The Act requires we notify you when pesticides are applied on the
outside of public and private schools, day care centers and school age child
care programs.

We are having Fowler School, 3 Tiger
Drive and Green Meadow Elementary School, 5 Tiger Drive,
treated with the Sentricon Termite Baiting System in response to the presence
of termites. We selected this treatment method to reduce risk and hazard
to our student population and staff. At various times during the course
of the year, the Waltham Services Company may remove monitoring devices placed
below ground in plastic holding stations and replace them with baits lethal to
termites. The pesticide bait is non-volatile and not accessible or
visible from above.

Please feel free to call me at the Business Office at
978-897-8251, Mr. Mela, principal at Fowler School at 978-897-6700 or Mrs.
Dankner, principal at Green Meadow at 978-897-8246 should you have questions.

Website: www.mass.gov/agr, then follow the links to the Children’s Protection page

Friday, May 6, 2016

Emerson Hospital and Maynard High School are pleased to
offer baseline concussion testing for Maynard High School students. Through a generous grant from the Emerson
Women's Auxiliary, the tests are for all students free of charge this
school year. For more information about
the concussion center use the following link: https://www.emersonhospital.org/MedServicesAndCenters/Centers/Cantu.aspx

These tests create a cognitive and functional baseline for
individuals that serve as a reference point when determining if your student
has sustained a concussion and needs to be referred to a doctor. Appointments
for this free baseline concussion testing are available to all high school
students and will be scheduled after school on May 31st, June 1st, or June 2nd upon parental request. The
tests will be conducted after school at Fowler Middle School in the computer
labs.

The 4th Annual
Acton-Boxborough-Maynard PMC KIDS Bike Ride
will take place on June 5, 2016 from 8:30 am to 12:00 pm at NARA Park in
Acton. PMC KIDS Bike Rides
became an official PMC program in 2005 as a way to include young
cyclists in the Pan-Massachusetts Challenges mission of raising money for
cancer research and treatment at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute through its Jimmy
Fund. These rides enable children between the ages of 3 and 13 to ride their
bikes and solicit sponsors to donate money to cancer research. 100% of all
money raised at this event and by the children will go directly to Dana Farber
via the PMC. The event will include the ride, lunch, multiple kid’s
activities, raffles and silent auction! Ride details, rider and volunteer
registration can be found at: http://www.kids.pmc.org/Acton-Boxboro.aspx. You can also
email PMCKidsAB@gmail.com with
any questions. Or visit us on our PMC Kids Ride - Acton Boxboro Maynard
Facebook page. We hope to see you there!

A Parent's Guide to Waging War on Drugs:
Forewarned is Forearmed

Please join us for the very informative and
important presentation by F. George Herring, A Parent's Guide to Waging
War on Drugs: Forewarned is Forearmed. Herring
is a case investigator, for the Fatal Overdose Narcotics Bureau in Long Island,
New York. The presentation will aim to
provide information about the current drug culture, help recognize signs of
abuse and provide practical advice for the unfortunate event you discover a
member of your household has an addiction problem.

Date: Tuesday May 24th

Time: 7:30pm

Place: Maynard High School
Auditorium.

The MHS Spring Concert

The Spring Concert is Thursday, May 12th at
7pm in the Maynard High School Auditorium.
Please see the memo on the website for details.

The treble chorus, the satb chorus and the concert
band will all be performing some amazing and fun pieces! We will be
singing Morokeni (a traditional song of welcome in Sotho), Turtle Dove (Vaughan
Williams), a gorgeous Les Mis medley, a powerful band piece "Inferno"
based on Dante's Inferno, Billy Joel's Root Beer Rag, and much more. Please
come out and support your Maynard High School musicians!

Upcoming events:

The Solo and Ensemble Concert is Wed., May
25th at 7pm (jazz, wind ensemble, madrigals and a cappella groups), the
Memorial Day Parade is Monday May 30th and the Music Banquet is that
evening at 5pm. Band and satb chorus will also be performing at Graduation
on June 11.

Please see our website for updates and details.

Concord Youth Theatre's Mainstage Company will be performing Robin Hood

This is a re-telling of one of the most classic tales known. Robin and his band of “Merry Men” take the stage to rob from the rich and give to the poorMay 13-15, 20-22, 2016 (Fri-Sat,7:30pm; Sat-Sun,2:30pm).

The 40-actor cast includes Maynard's own Tyson Smith, as well as other young people from Acton, Carlisle, Concord, Lincoln, Littleton, Sudbury and Westford.

Under the direction of Lisa Evans with music direction by the musical’s writer Rene Pfister, performances take place at Concord Youth Theatre’s, 358 Baker Avenue black box theater in Concord. Tickets are $13 each and may be purchased online atwww.concordyouththeatre.orgor by calling the CYT box office at978-371-1482. The performance is recommended for ages 4 and up.

State Assessment
Testing

Testing began at the Green Meadow
School this week. Next week they will
finish the testing on Monday 5/9, Tuesday 5/10, Wednesday 5/11, and Thursday
5/12. The Fowler School will begin
testing on Monday 5/9 and the test schedule can be found on the Fowler website
at Mr. Mela's page.

Last year our state assessment
test participation rate in science was only 94%. The participation rate target is 95%. If Maynard does not meet the 95% target there
could be state accountability consequences in the ratings of our schools. I know we all have pride in the Maynard
Schools and we want our state accountability test results to be the best that they
can be. I would encourage our families
and students to be prepared to take these assessment tests next week.

Important Events and
Reminders:

In
an effort to streamline the Superintendent’s Notes, I will provide important
upcoming events or announcements that have already been posted in previous Superintendent’s
Notes in this section.

A Community Forum: Rising Opiod Epidemic in our Community

I would like to take just a moment to remind
everyone of our upcoming Opioid awareness conference which is fast
approaching. This community outreach program is scheduled forMonday May 16thfrom6-9 pmat the
Concord-Carlisle HS. We will have resources from all over the area to
discuss issues with prevention, awareness, early intervention and behavioral
emergencies. Again we look forward to seeing you there.

Bus registration for the
2016-2017 school year will begin on May
9, 2016. Registration will
take place at the administrative offices located at 3-R Tiger Drive.
Registration Forms will be available on our website and all school offices
starting on May 6. No forms will be accepted before May
9. There is no fee increase this year. $270.00 for the 1st student;
$220 for the 2nd or more.

Note: If you have a student entering 7th grade
at a distance of 2 miles or more, you must now pay the fee.

School Pesticide Notification

This notification is being sent to you in conformance
with the Children’s & Families Protection Act (Chapter 85 of the Acts of
2000). The Act requires we notify you when pesticides are applied on the
outside of public and private schools, day care centers and school age child
care programs.

We are having Fowler School, 3 Tiger
Drive and Green Meadow Elementary School, 5 Tiger Drive,
treated with the Sentricon Termite Baiting System in response to the presence
of termites. We selected this treatment method to reduce risk and hazard
to our student population and staff. At various times during the course
of the year, the Waltham Services Company may remove monitoring devices placed
below ground in plastic holding stations and replace them with baits lethal to
termites. The pesticide bait is non-volatile and not accessible or
visible from above.

Please feel free to call me at the Business Office at
978-897-8251, Mr. Mela, principal at Fowler School at 978-897-6700 or Mrs.
Dankner, principal at Green Meadow at 978-897-8246 should you have questions.

Website: www.mass.gov/agr, then follow the links to the Children’s Protection page

Thursday, May 5, 2016

I would like to begin this announcement with thanks to so many important people for their part in
helping me to make such an important decision. Thank you to the School
Committee.They volunteer so many hours
in addition to the evenings spent at school committee meetings and they were in
attendance at the Teacher Parent Forum in their dual role as parents as well as
elected officials.Thank you to the staff
and community members who participated on the volunteer screening
committee. Serving your community takes on many forms and this hiring decision is important for the continuity of our outstanding school system. Finally, thank you for all the staff that participated on the
screening committee, others who came to the evening forum, and still others who are friends and just emailed me or called me with their opinions.All of the participants at the forum asked
articulate questions and the feedback was extremely helpful to me on such a
difficult decision.

The new Maynard Fowler School Principal is Sharon
Seyller.Sharon has been the Principal
of the Fuller Middle School in Framingham Massachusetts since August 2013.Her experience includes three years as
Assistant Principal of the Fowler School in Maynard, three years as Assistant
Principal and Acting Principal in Scituate, a year as Dean of Students at the
middle school in Norwood, and sixteen years as a guidance counselor in Sharon,
Wellesly, Pembroke, and Merrimack, New Hampshire.Ms. Seyler, a Natick resident, holds a Bachelor
of Arts degree from Notre Dame College in Manchester, New Hampshire, a Master
of Education degree from Plymouth State University in Plymouth, New Hampshire,
and a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Studies from the University of New
England in Biddeford, Maine.

When Sharon and I worked together in my first two
years in Maynard, I was always impressed by Sharon's work ethic and
intellect. Through my individual interview and the Teacher Parent Forum,
I also discovered the leadership she has developed and the innovation that she
has implemented in Framingham as a principal. Her expertise on the Fuller STEAM initiative
and project based learning align closely with the direction our strategic
planning is leading us.I am so excited
that Sharon Seyller will be joining our school community.